January BOCEP Deep Learning courses to start January 12

The first set of Bloustein Online Continuing Education Program Deep Learning courses in 2011 will start January 12 and end February 19.  (They had been scheduled to begin January 5) This change helps give busy professionals more time to catch up from the holidays before class begins.

Even though the classes start a week later, it's better to register early.  You're more likely to get a scholarship (up to $145 for some classes).  If a course is postponed, you will get to take another course free while waiting for your other course to begin.

See the list of upcoming courses 
Updates on scholarships are announced on the Professional Development Institute newsletter.  Subscribe to the free newsletter.

Read more...

Community Development Tips: Better field research

I was a trainer in a program to help college and graduate students become more effective housing and community development professionals.  Here are a few tips I shared with them, as well as a few more.

• Get a sense of the community by using a site or free program that uses aerial photography, such as Google Maps or Bing Maps (Formerly Microsoft Live Maps).
• Do land use, building condition and related surveys early in the morning.
• For safety and efficiency, surveys should be done by at least two people together.  Never do a windshield survey by yourself.  
• If you are working in a dangerous area (such as one with drug or gang issues), wear clothes that make you stand out.  You will be seen as less of a threat if you're trying to be visible.  Dressing like a municipal employee, or wearing an identity card around your neck also can help you look more conspicuous. 
• When passing auto-oriented uses, check the ground for oil and and other toxic chemical spills.  If the floor is dirty, there's a good chance the ground is to.  In other words: Likely brownfield.
• When doing density surveys: doorbells-mailboxes-meters.  These are your best field measures to determine how a building is subdivided.  Note: In locations with illegal apartments, a landlord may feed one meter into multiple units.  Also look for what seem like overly-large parking areas, compared to similar structures in the area.
• Every so often, give your eyes a rest and listen and smell.  What parts of the neighborhood are noisiest?  What parts smell the cleanest?
• If you are watching how people interact with the build environment, look like you have a reason to be standing around watching.  Buy a coffee or drink when you're sitting or standing outside.  Then you look like you're waiting for someone.  
• If you are asked what you are doing, avoid the word "redevelopment" (unless it is part of the formal name of your project.)  When people hear "redevelopment," they tend to think "eminent domain" and it can get a bit ugly after that... 
• Trust your feelings.  If you feel uncomfortable, get out of the area as quickly as possible.

Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP
Have a professional development tip? 
Share it.  Send your tip to Leo

Read more...

Cultural planning conference can help you build more sustainable communities through the arts

The Arts Build Communities Leadership Program is designed for civic and cultural leaders who want to be more effective in building sustainable communities and local economies through the arts.

Participants will get expert advice in building customized and more cost-effective strategies for their communities.  The Leadership Program has two parts.

It begins February 11, 2011, with an all-day conference on arts-based community development and economic development.  Experts will share their advice and experiences, and be candid about the benefits and challenges of this work.  The conference, at Rutgers University's Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, is open to everyone.  The cost is $50, which includes meals and a free electronic resource guide.

The next part of the program runs from March to July 2011.  In this part of the program, community-based teams will plan custom strategies for their communities.  The teams will get technical assistance and coaching from experts in cultural planning, community and economic development, leadership and organizational development, and public policy.

All conference participants will be invited to participate in the second part of the program.  Up to 10 teams will be selected, and each team must have at least one elected official (or high-ranking public administrator) and a cultural professional.  Each team can have up to 10 members.

In September, the teams will return to Rutgers for a one-day convocation to share their experiences.  The convocation will be open to the public.

Register for the February 11 conference
Applications for the full program will be available by January 2011.
For more information, please contact Deborah Schulze at 732-932-3822, x635 or schulze@eden.rutgers.edu

Read more...

Renowned land use attorney Lora Lucero joins Bloustein Online Continuing Education Program

Lora Lucero, an urban planner, land use attorney, and adjunct professor of law at the University of New Mexico, will be teaching planning law and ethics courses in the Bloustein Online Continuing Education Program.

Those who follow land use law issues should be familiar with Lora’s work. She edited the American Planning Association’s legal journal - Planning & Environmental Law - for many years, and coordinated the filing of amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) briefs for APA in state and federal courts in many important planning law cases over the past 10 years.

She is co-editor of a leading text on the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act - RLUIPA Reader: Religious Land Use, Zoning, and the Courts (Planners Press 2009) and has authored numerous articles on water, climate change and planning law issues.  Lora is also editor of the American Bar Association - Section of State & Local Government Law’s quarterly newsletter.

Lora will be teaching Current Trends in Land Use Law, from January 5 to February 12, 2011. One of the more popular courses in BOCEP, this class helps participants better understand and prepare to address hot topics in planning law today. She will be teaching Ethics in Planning and Land Use Regulations in 2011 .

With more than 30 years experience, Lora brings both a practical and academic perspective on planning, environmental and land use law to BOCEP. She began her career as a public sector planner in California. Following law school, she moved to New Mexico and quickly established herself as a strong advocate for reforming that state’s planning statutes.  She has worked with both urban and rural communities, drafting impact fee ordinances, zoning regulations, and community plans. Most recently, Lora has turned her attention to the emerging field of climate law.

BOCEP and the Professional Development Institute are delighted and honored that Lora is joining our pool of instructors. 

Read more...

PDI partners with American Planning Association divisions to make quality continuing education more affordable

To strengthen their mutual commitments to the planning profession, Rutgers University’s Professional Development Institute is providing scholarships of $100 to Deep Learning courses to members of some divisions of the American Planning Association.

Members of these divisions will pay only $195 for any Bloustein Online Continuing Education Deep Learning course.

*Gays and Lesbians in Planning

*Latinos and Planning

*Planning and the Black Community

*Planning and Women

*Private Practice

PDI is also working with the Private Practice Division to develop Deep Learning courses and Learning Labs that better meet the needs of its members, many of whom work in or own planning consultancies.

Deep Learning courses, which are entirely online, give learners practical knowledge and skills to help them in their work and career.  Designed for busy professionals who want more than they get in conferences and short training sessions, Deep Learning courses are convenient -- there are no required meetings -- and interactive.  You can share ideas with professionals from around the United States and other countries.  Courses cover a wide variety of topics, including: community development, economic development, leadership, planning law, professional practice, and urban design.

Almost all Deep Learning courses are eligible for 14 AICP Certification Maintenance credits.

The normal fee for a Bloustein Online Continuing Education Program Deep Learning course is $295.  With the scholarship, members of partnering organizations pay $195 (a discount of more than 33%).  Those pursuing a Certificate of Completion, Master Practitioner or Expert Practitioner Certificate pay an additional $50 per course.

Members need a promotion code to get the scholarship. 

• GALIP members, please contact Linda Amato
• Private Practice members, please contact Ramona Mullahey
• If you are a member of any other participating division, please contact your division chair or a member of the division’s executive committee.  Some divisions are making the promotion code available through email or in their newsletters.

The scholarship and promotion applies to all Deep Learning courses through July 2011.

Learn more about BOCEP and upcoming classes.

Read more...

Did BOCEP help you in your work or career? Let us know...

The Bloustein Online Continuing Education Program is looking for graduates of BOCEP courses to find out how their experience helped them in their work or career.

Did what you learned in a BOCEP class lead you to do something differently than you would have otherwise? Did your experience have an impact in how you approached your work or your career?

Please let PDI Director Leonardo Vazquez know.  Feel free to email him or call at 732-932-3822, x711.

Read more...

Bloustein alumni can get $100 discount on BOCEP Deep Learning classes

Anyone who graduated from Rutgers University's Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, or its predecessor, is eligible to receive a scholarship of $100 toward any Deep Learning course offered by the Bloustein Online Continuing Education Program.

This means that Bloustein alumni would pay only $195 per course.  Alumni can apply the scholarship to any Deep Learning course. Alumni need to get the promotion code before registering to get the discounted price.  To do that, they can send an email to Programs Manager Swena Gulati.  (Please indicate your graduation year and program.  After confirming that you are an alum, we will send you the promotion code by email.)

BOCEP Deep Learning courses provide high-quality, practical and convenient learning for professionals who want more than they usually get in a typical training or conference session. All courses are completely online, and there are no required meetings.  But they are interactive -- you can learn from and share ideas with other professionals and experts through discussion boards and videoconferences.  BOCEP offers courses in a wide range of subjects, including:

• Arts-based planning
• Community development
• Economic development
• Environmental planning
• Leadership and management
• Planning and land use law
• Urban design

Read more...